July 26, 2003

The Texan praised his rival [Ullrich] afterward. "He gave us a lot of problems,’’ he said. "He’s still the biggest challenger.

"I like Jan a lot and nobody makes me more motivated. He’s a great champion.’’

Ullrich will finish in 2nd for the 5th time, in addition to his win in 1997. Joop Zoetemelk holds the record for 2nd-place finishes with 6; he
had the misfortune to race the Tour against Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault. Zoetemelk finally won the Tour in 1980.